Sustainable Supplier Awards

For the first time, the event was delivered in a fully virtual format - bringing our national network together more efficiently while significantly reducing our carbon footprint. This shift not only enhanced accessibility but also aligned perfectly with the values at the heart of the awards. Aside from a brief internet connection hiccup, quickly resolved, the event ran smoothly and seamlessly.

We opened with a welcome from our Head of Procurement, Rob Baillie, before moving into the Supplier Marketplace.

As in previous years, the event also featured a Supplier Marketplace, where selected partners showcased their own sustainability initiatives. This year’s contributors - Contenur, Eurox, Puragen, SMT, Team Repair and IEG EMEA - shared a diverse range of innovations, offering valuable insights into how they are advancing environmental and social responsibility across our supply chain.

Following the tea break, Dr Tracey Leghorn, our Chief Business Services Officer, presented the new SUEZ strategic goals and outlined how these ambitions further strengthen the connection between our supply chain and our wider social and environmental priorities.

We will begin planning for the 2026 Supplier Sustainability Awards in Qtr3, and we’re looking forward to recognising even more of our suppliers next year. We encourage all partners to keep strengthening the sustainability of the goods, services, and solutions you provide - you never know, it could be your name on the shortlist next time.

Our award winners

Category - Safety

• Protecting our Planet – Vaculug Limited

Eurox stands out for delivering fully compliant workwear made from 100% recycled materials and ensuring every item is responsibly managed at end of life — from fibre recycling and energy recovery to specialist processing. With full transparency through real-time data tracking, they provide a genuinely circular, measurable solution that reduces CO₂ from production to disposal.

• Keeping our People safe and Well - Future Garments t/a Eurox

Over 50% of SUEZ fleet tyres are reused through retreading or solid filling, while end-of-life tyres are fully recycled — recovering steel and converting rubber into crumb for playgrounds and sports infrastructure. Through its partnership with Vaculug, SUEZ has saved 89,842 kg of carbon, 106,060 kg of CO₂, 41,574 kg of steel and 12,738 kg of oil, dedicated an acre of woodland absorbing 2.5 tonnes of carbon annually, and raised £2,950 for local charities — combining circularity with measurable environmental and community impact.

Category - Solutions

• Supporting our communities – INNOVATION (highly commended) - Socotec

Socotec provides consistently high service and technical expertise, collaborating closely to develop advanced PFAS testing methods tailored to our needs while maintaining clear, responsive communication. Their support has also enabled practical sustainability gains, including reducing sample bottles and courier weight, lowering CO₂ emissions while saving time and operational effort.

• Supporting our communities – INNOVATION – Contenur (UK) Limited

Contenur revealed that SUEZ’s light-blue bins are limited to 10–15% recycled content and recommended darker blue (≥50%) and black bins (80–100%), significantly reducing virgin plastic use. Their buy-back scheme — launching Q2 2026 — will recycle and remanufacture old bins into new ones, creating a fully circular end-of-life solution and transforming SUEZ’s bin sustainability strategy.

• Supporting our communities – SOCIAL VALUE – Team Repair Limited

This partnership has reached 310+ pupils and trained nine teachers and two SUEZ employees in hands-on repair skills, with teachers rating it 10/10. In Somerset alone, among 180 students, 40% are now more likely to repair items, 37% show increased interest in STEM careers, and 38% completed their first-ever repair — demonstrating measurable behavioural and educational impact.

• Supporting our communities – COLLABORATION – Sharpcat

Sharpcat delivered Somerset’s 2024 county-wide re-route programme communications with complete accuracy and on-time performance, managing large-scale printing, mail merges, and Royal Mail compliance — even accommodating last-minute data changes. Combining competitive pricing with sustainable practices (vegetable-based inks, recycled paper) and a strong track record across South Gloucestershire, Calderdale, and Southend, they consistently provide reliable, high-quality service at scale.

Category - Success

• Customer focus – Jacksons Engineering Mervchants Limited

Jacksons have supported SUEZ for over 22 years, consistently delivering exceptional service and critical out-of-hours support — including opening at 10pm on a Friday at no extra cost to supply urgent parts, preventing a plant shutdown that would have cost over £10,000. Their reliability and responsiveness make them a genuinely dependable long-term partner.

• SME Supplier of the Year – Polstead Press

Acting as a true partner, they delivered high-quality signage and imagery through multiple site visits, custom low-wattage light boxes, and seamless contractor coordination — even editing poor-quality images and accommodating last-minute changes at no extra cost. With eco-friendly vegan materials, extensive recycling, and £0.50 donated per invoice (around £2,500 over two years) to the Suffolk Tree Warden Network — plus free charity printing — they combine craftsmanship, flexibility, and measurable sustainability impact.

Supplier of the Year

• Team Repair

This supplier earns Supplier of the Year for their outstanding impact on our sustainability goals and the communities we support. Their repair-skills programme drives meaningful behaviour change in young people while strengthening our relationships with schools and local communities - a truly award-worthy contribution.